27 January 2010

My small daily paintings serve as kind of a warm-up exercise for me when I start in on my painting day. Most of what I have posted on my blog have been these little paintings which provide a very nice little cash flow for me while I work on a new body of work. In this new collection of work I have been focusing on abstracting the landscape. Working with less intention and allowing myself to respond to the marks, colors, and shapes as they appear on the canvas or panel. I have found this simplification of the landscape makes a much more powerful statement, and the experience of being in the moment with the painting has a spiritual quality to it. The painting here is one of my first successes, in that I achieved that experiential purity for which I strive.  I title it Dream Work, as it really feels as though I created it outside of myself.

Oil on panel, 18" X 24"

January 22, 2010 - Iris

Continuing on with my garden paintings, this is a larger piece, 8 X 10 of my purple iris. The first real showcase of color after the spring bulbs are finished blooming. Wish they lasted longer.

http://mainepainter.etsy.com

January 17, 2010 More blooms

The newest garden paintings, blue delphinium and thistle-like somethings...I've never known the proper name for these little magenta blooms but they grace my garden in many spots. http://mainepainter.etsy.com

January 15, 2010 - Thinking spring

Those who know me know that I don't "winter over" very well. So, to battle the winter blues I've turned my daily painting focus to blooms from my cottage garden. This garden is an art project in itself, and I spend lots of time working in it from as early as April until November. These paintings are oil on panel, all 4 X 6" and are available on my Etsy site.

December 14, 2009 - Custom Note Cards

I've been making custom note cards from my images and have decided to add them to my offerings on my website, here, and my Etsy site. They are 5.5 X 4.25 inches on a nice quality white mat stock with envelope, and blank inside. Any image from my portfolio of small landscapes (see website) can be chosen. I particularly like the square daily painting images in a vertical card format (left), but they do work well as a horizontal card too. Individual card with envelope will be priced at $4.00, a set of 5 cards for $17.00 or 10 for $32.00. I hope to have them posted to my Etsy site this week, but I will sell directly in the meantime.

December 8, 2009 - Sketches yield surprises

I was going through a pile of little gouache sketches I did back in October while visiting a friends farm. My intention was to use them as inspiration for larger paintings, which I will still do...but after not seeing them for a couple months, I found some of them really intriguing on their own. The color is quite vibrant...not like my pastels or oils, and the total abandon with which I did them yields a fresh, abstract expression. I am going to mat and frame these three for sure. The first two I may mat and frame as a diptych.

And, I have know clue as to why the images won't line up. Never had the problem before. Annoying but I'll keep on trying.

December 4, 2009

Hard to believe it's December already, and that it's been six weeks since I've posted. Spent October working on three commissions, none of which I can post yet since they are to be holiday gifts. A wonderful week in St. Louis, followed by a bout with the flu, followed by a Thanksgiving trip...all leaves me low on small paintings for my Etsy site. I've closed it temporarily until inventory is back up. My few remaining 6 X 6 oils are hanging at a wonderful little salon in Bangor, About Face, thanks to the graciousness of owner Kristen Ames. Her studio is at 124 Lancaster Street, off of Essex Street in Bangor where she offers a menu of hair, skin care, and massage services. I'll be back to a regular painting schedule hopefully next week.